Fast charging battery pack and methods to charge fast

ABSTRACT

A fast charging station, battery system and method for charging battery systems can be applied to most battery types in use for electric vehicles (EVs), electronic devices, and wireless electrical machines. The system provides for two or more charging ports in the electronic device, such as an EV, that may be able to receive and recognize a charging type, such as charging voltage, current and the like, and provide directed charging to multiple battery sub-packs that make up the entire battery. By charging sub-packs in parallel, the charge time can be substantially reduced. The system further provides a charging station with two or more electrical connections provided at each stall, providing for fast charge of an electrical device, such as an EV, positioned at each stall.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/537,336, filed Aug. 9, 2019, which claims the benefit ofpriority of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/847,303, filedMay 13, 2019, U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/862,177, filedJun. 17, 2019, and U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/868,954,filed Jun. 30, 2019, the contents of each of which are hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to battery power systemsand related methods. More particularly, embodiments of the inventionrelate to a fast charging battery pack and methods for charging batterypacks in a rapid manner. The battery packs may be used, for example, inelectric vehicles, electronic devices, wireless electrical machines andthe like.

2. Description of Prior Art and Related Information

The following background information may present examples of specificaspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts,or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educatethe reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to beconstrued as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof,to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.

The high power density and long cycle life of lithium-ion cells havemade them broadly employed in electrical/mechanical systems such aselectric vehicles (EV), mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones,and wireless electrical machines such as hand drills and lawn mowers.For example, Tesla S 85D vehicle is built with a battery pack consistingof 7,104 Lithium-ion cells. Fast charging of battery cells has alwaysbeen the goal to improve the system operation availability. Various fastcharging technologies have been implemented, significantly reducing thetime to charge the cells. However, the cost and complexity ofstate-of-the-art fast charging battery systems (e.g., DC Fast Charge forEVs) are still relatively high in comparison to standard chargingtechnologies (e.g., 120V & 240V AC charging) that may take many hours tofully charge cells.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, schematic diagrams of an exemplary EVbattery pack 100 having sixteen modules 112 and equipped with one chargeport 102 is shown. The modules 12 are divided into four sub-packs 110,each having four modules 112. A power management device 104 and batterymanagement system (BMS) 106 may be connected as known in the art. InFIG. 1A, the modules 112 may be connected in series, while in FIG. 1B,the sub-packs 110 may be connected in parallel, while the modules 112within each sub-pack 110 are connected in series. In some embodiments, aDC-DC converter 108 may be used to ensure each sub-pack 110 outputs thesame voltage.

As such, it is desirable to have a fast charging battery system andmethods that are lower in cost and complexity than currentstate-of-the-art fast charging technologies. Such a system could beapplied to most battery types in use for EVs, electronic devices, andwireless electrical machines. The concept would employ industry provenbattery charger systems and off-the-shelf electrical components (e.g.,contactors, relay switches, semiconductor parts, DC-DC converters, andthe like) to keep cost and complexity low.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the EV can be equipped with multiple charge ports andwhen two or more of the provided ports are selectively usedsimultaneously to recharge the EV battery, the time required to reachfull charge is reduced. The power management (PM) system has options,for example, if only one charge plug is plugged in, the systemrecognizes the input and delivers the appropriate charging current tothe entire battery pack, and, if two or more ports are connected, thepower can flow, in parallel, to separate modules to charge themsimultaneously, thus reducing overall charging time.

In another embodiment, the multiple charge ports equipped on the EV canbe compatible with various types of charge plugs (e.g., Level 1, Level2, DC fast charging, and the like) and the same type or different typeof charge plugs may be selectively used at the same time to recharge theEV battery pack. The power management system has options to recognizethe input plug type and delivers the appropriate charging current to theentire battery pack (comprising separate modules) when one port isconnected, and if two or more ports are connected, the appropriate powercan flow, in parallel, to separate modules to charge themsimultaneously, thus reducing overall charging time.

In some embodiments, all the separate battery charger units employed maystart and stop their respective charging cycle at the same time as oneanother; or any combination of the battery charger units employed maystart and stop their respective charging cycle at a different timerelative to one another.

In another embodiment, during battery pack normal discharge usage, anyof the modules may be reconfigured by the power management system to beelectrically disconnected from the battery pack as deemed desirable forimproved operation of the battery pack and/or the vehicle or deviceequipped with said battery pack.

In another embodiment, the charging station has multiple charge outlets(e.g., cords and plugs of one type—Level 1, Level 2, DC fast charging,and the like—and/or different types; pantograph charging systems;wireless charging systems) to facilitate service to each individual EVequipped with two or more charge ports. Existing public EV chargingstations may have multiple charge plug types (e.g., one Level 2 and oneDC Fast Charge) for each stall, however, only one of the plugs can beused at a time. An individual charging station typically can service twoor more stalls, so one charge plug from each stall can be used to chargean EV having multiple charge ports. However, this would cause a problemfor another EV arriving at the unoccupied stall to find that its chargeplug is already being used. Embodiments of the present invention proposea solution to this problem, where the charging station can provide powerto multiple lines at each stall, for each EV.

In some embodiments, multiple charge cords/plugs for Level 1, Level 2,and DC fast charging types may be combined into one unit or arepresented as separate units.

In some embodiments, multiple charge cords may be combined into a singleunit, where the single unit can include multiple male plugs on one endthereof, such as multiple 120V plugs, multiple 240V plugs, or the like.On the opposite end, the single unit can include a specialized plug, ora standard EV plug, adapted to deliver power supplied on each of thecharge cords to multiple on-board chargers, permitting charging of thesub-packs of an EV battery in parallel. This results in multiple chargecords being provided in a more organized, bundled manner, therebyminimizing a tangled mess and safety hazard for this specificapplication.

In another embodiment, the EV may have two or more AC chargers on-boardto enable the use of multiple AC charge plugs (e.g., Level 1 and/orLevel 2) simultaneously. Alternatively, the EV may have only one ACcharger on-board and any additional AC charge plugs used would employ ACchargers not equipped on the EV since they undesirably take up space andadd weight to the EV.

In another embodiment, with two or more chargers plugged in, the EV canaccept a predetermined length of charge time input by the user andproceed to optimize the charging process to get the most amount ofcharge to the battery pack, for the given length of time, with thespecific plug types being used (e.g., two Level 2 plugs and one Level 1plug), while ensuring the individual modules have equal voltage at theend of the charge time to sustain long-term battery pack life.

In another embodiment, with multiple charge plugs used for charging, ifthe charge process is ended while some of the individual battery moduleshave not reached full state of charge and their voltage is less than thevoltage of the main battery pack, then the individual battery modulesmay be kept electrically unconnected to the main battery pack until thevoltage of the modules and the main battery pack are at an equal stateof charge.

In some embodiments, all the individual battery modules may have directelectrical connection to negative ground, or alternatively, may beelectrically connected to negative ground via a switch which canoptionally be set to electrically disconnect the respective individualbattery modules from negative ground.

In another embodiment, the user may optionally set the EV (with multiplecharge plugs connected for fast charging) to be able to reduce the fastrate of charge so as to not incur a higher cost levied at specific timeof day for the large amount of electricity power consumed during thecharging period.

In practice, the home owner or public charging station may need to drawpower from an electrical energy storage system (e.g., Tesla Powerwallbattery, Tesla Powerpack battery, or the like) because the electricalgrid may not able to deliver the large amount of power needed to fastcharge multiple EVs at the same time. The Powerwall/Powerpack batterywould serve to provide local reserve power, and a buffer for theelectrical grid, to meet the power spike in usage demand when multipleEVs are charging concurrently. The Powerwall/Powerpack battery may berecharged via the electrical grid at an acceptable rate of powerconsumption while the EVs are being charged and/or when no EVs are beingcharged. Therefore, in some embodiments, power can be provided to thebattery of the EV by an electrical energy storage system. In someembodiments, the electrical energy storage system is operable to berecharged via the electrical grid at an acceptable rate of powerconsumption while one or more EVs are being charged or when no EVs arebeing charged.

Embodiments of the invention may include various steps as set forthabove. The steps may be embodied in machine-executable instructionswhich cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor to performcertain steps. Various elements which are not relevant to the underlyingprinciples of the invention such as computer memory, hard drive, inputdevices, have been left out of the figures to avoid obscuring thepertinent aspects of the invention.

Alternatively, in one embodiment, the various functional modulesillustrated herein, and the associated steps may be performed byspecific hardware components that contain hardwired logic for performingthe steps, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”)or by any combination of programmed computer components and customhardware components.

Elements of the present invention may also be provided as amachine-readable medium for storing the machine-executable instructions.The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, flashmemory, optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs,magnetic or optical cards, propagation media or other type ofmachine-readable media suitable for storing electronic instructions. Forexample, the present invention may be downloaded as a computer programwhich may be transferred from a remote computer (e.g., a server, a cloudservice) to a requesting computer (e.g., a client) by way of datasignals embodied in a carrier wave or other propagation medium via acommunication link (e.g., a modem or network connection, Wi-Fi or otherwireless means). The computer program may be used to allow a usercontrol of, and/or to monitor the battery and the charging process.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a battery charging systemcomprising at least two ports for receiving charging power; at least twobattery sub-packs; a power manager detecting at least one detected port,from the at least two ports, receiving charging power; and a pluralityof switches configured to provide power from the at least one detectedport to each of the at least two battery sub-packs, wherein when the atleast one detected port is a first detected port and a second detectedport, at least two of the at least two battery sub-packs are charged inparallel from the first detected port and the second detected port.

In some embodiments, the at least one detected port receiving chargingpower includes at least a first detected port and a second detectedport.

In some embodiments, the plurality of switches alternate the systembetween a first phase and at least a second phase, wherein the firstphase connects selected ones of the first and second detected ports to afirst selection of the at least two battery sub-packs and the secondphase connects selected ones of the first and second detected ports to asecond selection of the at least two battery sub-packs, where the firstselection is different from the second selection.

In some embodiments, the switching between the first phase and at leastthe second phase provides substantially even charging between the atleast two battery sub-packs.

Embodiments of the present invention further provide a battery chargingsystem comprising at least four ports for receiving charging power; atleast four battery sub-packs; a power manager detecting at least onedetected port, from the at least four ports, receiving charging power;and a plurality of switches configured to provide power from the atleast one detected port to each of the at least four battery sub-packs,wherein when the at least one detected port is at least a first detectedport and a second detected port, at least two of the at least fourbattery sub-packs are charged in parallel from the first detected portand the second detected port.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a method of charging abattery with a battery charging system comprising separating the batteryinto at least two battery sub-packs; detecting whether power is providedat each of at least two charging ports; switching one or more of aplurality of switches to provide power that is received at one or moreof the at least two charging ports to the at least two batterysub-packs; and when more than one of the at least two charging portsreceive power, charging at least a first and a second one of the atleast two battery sub-packs in parallel with each of the at least twocharging ports receiving power.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdrawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an exampleand are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, inwhich like references may indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1A illustrates a conventional simplified schematic diagram of anexemplary EV battery pack having 16 modules, series connected, andequipped with one charge port;

FIG. 1B illustrates a conventional simplified schematic diagram of anexemplary EV battery pack having 16 modules, series and parallelconnected, and equipped with one charge port;

FIG. 2A illustrates a simplified schematic diagram of an exemplary EVbattery pack having 16 modules, series and parallel connected, andequipped with 2 charge ports with one charger selectively connected asshown;

FIG. 2B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 2A withboth chargers of the same type (Level 2) selectively connected as shown;

FIG. 2C illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 2A withboth chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the chargecycle, where each charger is a different type (Level 2 and Level 1);

FIG. 2D illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 2A withboth chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the chargecycle, where each charger is a different type (Level 2 and Level 1);

FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified schematic diagram of an exemplary EVbattery pack having 16 modules, series and parallel connected, andequipped with 4 charge ports with one charger selectively connected asshown;

FIG. 4 illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 with twochargers of the same type (Level 2) selectively connected as shown;

FIG. 5A illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 with twochargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the charge cycle,where each charger is a different type (Level 2 and Level 1);

FIG. 5B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 5A with twochargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the charge cycle;

FIG. 6A illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 withthree chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the chargecycle, where each charger is the same type (Level 2);

FIG. 6B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 6A withthree chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the chargecycle;

FIG. 7A illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 withthree chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the chargecycle, where two chargers are Level 2 and one is Level 1;

FIG. 7B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 7A withthree chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the chargecycle;

FIG. 7C illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 7A withthree chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase C of the chargecycle;

FIG. 8A illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 withthree chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the chargecycle, where one charger is Level 2 and two are Level 1;

FIG. 8B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 8A withthree chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the chargecycle;

FIG. 8C illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 8A withthree chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase C of the chargecycle;

FIG. 9 illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 with fourchargers selectively connected as shown, where each charger is the sametype (Level 2);

FIG. 10A illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 withfour chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the chargecycle, where three chargers are Level 2 and one is Level 1;

FIG. 10B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 10A withfour chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the chargecycle;

FIG. 11A illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 withfour chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the chargecycle, where two chargers are Level 2 and two are Level 1;

FIG. 11B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 11A withfour chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the chargecycle;

FIG. 12A illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 withfour chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the chargecycle, where one charger is Level 2 and three are Level 1;

FIG. 12B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 12A withfour chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the chargecycle;

FIG. 12C illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 12A withfour chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase C of the chargecycle;

FIG. 12D illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 12A withfour chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase D of the chargecycle;

FIG. 13 illustrates a view of an electric vehicle charging stall wheretwo lines from a single charging stall are available at the chargingstation for connection to the electric vehicle;

FIG. 14 illustrates a view of an electric vehicle charging stall where asingle consolidated line from a charging stall at a charging station hasmultiple connectors for attachment to an electric vehicle;

FIG. 14A illustrates an end view of a single connector providing powerfrom bundled multiple charge lines from a single charging station,according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14B illustrates an end view of the single connector of FIG. 14Apowered from multiple separate charge lines from a single chargingstation, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 illustrates a pantograph charging system used with an electricvehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;and

FIG. 16 illustrates an energy storage device used in conjunction with abattery charging station, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are notnecessarily drawn to scale.

The invention and its various embodiments can now be better understoodby turning to the following detailed description wherein illustratedembodiments are described. It is to be expressly understood that theillustrated embodiments are set forth as examples and not by way oflimitations on the invention as ultimately defined in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND BEST MODE OFINVENTION

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of oneor more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singularforms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms aswell as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by onehaving ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Itwill be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonlyused dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and thepresent disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overlyformal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number oftechniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefitand each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in somecases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sakeof clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possiblecombination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion.Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with theunderstanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope ofthe invention and the claims.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, toone skilled in the art that the present invention may be practicedwithout these specific details.

The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of theinvention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specificembodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, many carefulconsiderations and compromises typically must be made when designing forthe optimal configuration of a commercial implementation of any system,and in particular, the embodiments of the present invention. Acommercial implementation in accordance with the spirit and teachings ofthe present invention may be configured according to the needs of theparticular application, whereby any aspect(s), feature(s), function(s),result(s), component(s), approach(es), or step(s) of the teachingsrelated to any described embodiment of the present invention may besuitably omitted, included, adapted, mixed and matched, or improvedand/or optimized by those skilled in the art, using their average skillsand known techniques, to achieve the desired implementation thataddresses the needs of the particular application.

Broadly, embodiments of the present invention provide a fast chargingbattery system and methods that are lower in cost and complexity thancurrent state-of-the-art fast charging technologies. The system can beapplied to most battery types in use for electric vehicles (EVs),electronic devices, and wireless electrical machines. The system couldemploy industry proven battery charger systems and off-the-shelfelectrical components (e.g., contactors, relay switches, semiconductorparts, DC-DC converters, and the like) to keep cost and complexity low.The system provides for two or more charging ports that may be able toreceive and recognize a charging type and provide charging to multiplebattery sub-packs that make up the entire battery. By charging sub-packsin parallel, the charge time can be substantially reduced.

The embodiments discussed below include devices, such as electricvehicles, that have two charge ports (FIG. 2A through FIG. 2D) anddevices that have four charge ports (FIG. 3 through FIG. 12D). Thesystem of the present invention may be usable with Level 1 charging(120V charging, typically 12-20 Amp) and Level 2 charging (240Vcharging, typically 12-80 Amp). When the system detects multiplecharging connection at its multiple ports, the system can determine theincoming voltage, and thus, the Level of the charging connection. Whenthe same Level is provided, the system can charge the sub-packs inparallel, as discussed below, to reduce charge times. When differentLevel of charging connections are provided, the system can provide oneof the Levels to at least one sub-pack, and the other Level to at leastone of the other sub-packs. As the charging continues, the system canswitch which Levels charge which packs to ensure even chargingtherebetween.

Each of the FIGS. 2A through 12D are shown with four sub-packs, eachhaving four modules. It should be understood that different sizes ofbatteries, different number of sub-packs, and different number ofmodules per sub-pack may be used within the scope of the presentinvention. Of course, for a device, such as an EV, having two chargeports, at least two sub-packs are required to take advantage of thefeatures of the present invention. Similarly, for a device having fourcharge ports, at least two sub-packs, and typically at least foursub-packs, are required to take advantage of the features of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIGS. 2A through 2D, when the device, such as an EV, hastwo charge ports 12A, 12B, the system 10 can be configured to acceptpower from one or both of the ports 12A, 12B. The embodiment of FIGS. 2Athrough 2D includes a first switch S1 connected to the positive terminalof the port 12A, a second switch S2 connected to the positive terminalof the port 12B, a third switch S3 interconnecting the output of S1 andS2, and a fourth switch S4 that can isolate or connect the negativeterminals of each of the ports 12A, 12B.

In FIG. 2A, one Level 2 charging connection is connected to port 12A.The result is similar to conventional charging, where power from theport 12A is delivered to each of the sub-packs 20A-20D in parallel,where each of the modules 22 of each sub-pack 20A-20D is charged inseries. When port 12A is provided with charging power, S1 can be closedto provide power to first and second sub-packs 20A, 20B and S3 can beclosed to provide power to the third and fourth sub-packs 20C, 20D.Switch S3 may be open to prevent back feeding the charge port 12B.

In FIG. 2B, a Level 2 charging connection may be provided to port 12Aand to port 12B. This embodiment differs from that of FIG. 2A in thatswitch S3 may be open so that power from each port 12A, 12B can chargesub-packs 20A and 20B, and sub-packs 20C and 20D, respectively. Thus,the charging time for the embodiment of FIG. 2B may be about half thatof FIG. 2A, with the battery being split into half, with each half beingcharged in parallel.

In FIGS. 2C and 2D, it is illustrated how the system 10 can be used tocontrol charging of the sub-packs 20A-20D when different Level chargingconnections are provided to the two ports 12A, 12B. In this example, aLevel 2 charging connection is provided to port 12A and a Level 1charging connection is provided to port 12B. In FIG. 2C, a first chargephase, referred to as phase A provides the Level 2 charging connectionto sub-packs 20A, 20B and provides the Level 1 charging to sub-packs 20Cand 20D. Once a predetermined charge level is reached, or after apredetermined time, the switches S1, S2, S3, S4 may change to providePhase B, as shown in FIG. 2D. Here, the Level 2 charging is provided tosub-packs 20C and 20D to “catch-up” the charge level in these sub-packs20C, 20D to meet or exceed that already provided in sub-packs 20A and20B. In Phase B, as shown in FIG. 2D, port 12B is shown as beingdisconnected. However, in some embodiments, switch S2 may have twoselective outputs, similar to switch S1, where, during phase B, power(Level 1) from port 12B may be provided to sub-packs 20A and 20B in amanner similar to how power from port 12A is provided to sub-packs 20Cand 20D.

In this embodiment, the power manager 14, the battery management system16 and the DC-DC converters 18 may be used to ensure that each sub-packis charged to the same state of charge. Should charging be interruptedwhere one or more of the sub-packs are charged to a lower state ofcharge, the DC-DC converters 18 can be used to ensure a uniform outputfrom each of the sub-packs 20A-20D.

FIGS. 3 through 12D provide examples where the device, such as an EV,includes four ports 12A-12D. FIG. 3 provides an example where one portis connected to power, FIGS. 4 through 5B provide examples where twoports are connected to power, FIGS. 6A through 8C provide examples wherethree ports are connected to power, and FIGS. 9A through 12D provideexamples where all four ports are connected to power. The systemarchitecture of FIG. 3 is substantively the same as that used in all ofFIGS. 3 through 12D, with the difference being the ports being connectedto power. Therefore, reference numbers provided in FIG. 3 may be absentfrom FIGS. 4 through 12D, for clarity purposes, however, like structuresrefer to like elements in each of FIGS. 3 through 12D.

Referring now to FIG. 3, when a single power source, such as a Level 2power connection, is provided to port 12A, the power manager 14 cancontrol switches S1 through S16 so that the positive line from port 12Ais connected to each of the sub-packs 20A through 20D and the negativeline from port 12A is connected to each of the sub-packs 20A through20D. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, each of the modules 22 in thesub-packs 20A through 20D are charged in series, while the individualsub-packs 20A through 20D are charged in parallel. Of course, theindividual modules 22 in each sub-pack 20A through 20D may be connectedin various manners, such as all in series, as shown, all in parallel, ora combination of modules 22 in series and parallel. Typically, eachsub-pack 20A through 20D will have the same power rating (Amp-hours).However, should a single module 22 fail, the battery management system16, in conjunction with the DC-DC converter 18 may be used to optimizethe output of each of the sub-packs 20A through 20D.

The system of FIG. 3 may be similar to conventional charging systems,with the exception that other power ports 12B, 12C, 12D are provided toprovide additional power input that, with the appropriate selection byswitches S1 through S16, can provide charging in a manner that is up tofour times faster than the charging scheme of FIG. 3.

In FIG. 4, two power connections, that are the same, such as two Level 2power connections, may be provided to ports 12A, 12B. In thisembodiments, port 12A can provide power to half of the battery, such assub-packs 20A, 20B, while port 12B can provide power to the other halfof the battery, such as sub-packs 20C, 20D. Each half of the battery maybe charged in parallel from each port 12A, 12B. This can result in acharging time that is half that of the charging time shown in FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A and 5B, when the charging power supplied toports 12A, 12B is different, such as a Level 2 power connection to port12A and a Level 1 power connection to port 12B, a switching mechanism,such as that shown in FIGS. 2C and 2D may be provided, where thecharging system 30 can operate in Phase A (FIG. 5A) and Phase B (FIG.5B), where the system can switch between Phase A and B so that eachsub-pack 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D charges to substantially the same state ofcharge. In this embodiment, Phase A may provide Level 2 power tosub-packs 20A and 20B, while Level 1 power is supplied to sub-packs 20Cand 20D. In Phase B, Level 2 power may be supplied to sub-packs 20C and20D. The switching between Phases can occur to keep the state of chargebetween each half of the battery (that is between sub-packs 20A, 20B andsub-packs 20C, 20D) substantially the same.

FIGS. 6A through 8C provide examples where three chargers may beconnected to ports 12A, 12B and 12C.

Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, three chargers may be connected each toports 12A, 12B, 12C. In this embodiment, like that of FIG. 4, each port12A, 12B, 12C may be connected to the same type of charger, such as aLevel 2 charge connection. In this embodiment, because the number ofports connected to power is not a multiple of the number of sub-packs(here, there are three ports connected to power and four sub-packs), aswitching scheme must be used, similar to that in FIGS. 5A and 5B,above, to ensure even charging among the sub-packs. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 6A and 6B, in Phase A (FIG. 6A), port 12A may be used to chargesub-pack 20A, port 12B may be used to charge sub-pack 20B and port 12Cmay be used to charge sub-packs 20C and 20D. In Phase B, becausesub-packs 20C and 20D may charge at about half the speed of sub-packs20A and 20B, ports 12A may be used to provide a “catch-up” charge tosub-pack 20D and port 12C may be used to provide a “catch-up” charge tosub-pack 20C. The system 30 can switch between Phase A and Phase B toprovide a substantially even charge among the sub-packs 20A through 20D.

Referring to FIGS. 7A through 7C, to provide a substantially even chargeamong the sub-packs 20A through 20D, when three ports 12A, 12B, 12C areconnected to power, but the power levels are different (such as Level 2power connection at port 12A, Level 2 power connection at port 12B andLevel 1 power connection at port 12C), a switching scheme with threephases, Phase A, Phase B and Phase C may be provided. In Phase A, port12A may be used to charge sub-packs 20A and 20B, port 12B may be used tocharge sub-pack 20C and port 12C may be used to charge sub-pack 20D. InPhase B, port 12A may be used to charge sub-pack 20A, port 12B may beused to charge sub-pack 20B and port 12C may be used to charge sub-pack20D. In Phase C, port 12A may be used to charge sub-pack 20D. The Phasesmay be switched to provide a substantially even charge among thesub-packs 20A through 20D.

FIGS. 8A through 8C provide another example of three ports 12A, 12B, 12Cbeing supplied power, where Level 2 power is provided at port 12A, Level1 power is provided at port 12B and Level 1 power is provided at port12C. In Phase A, port 12A may be used to charge sub-packs 20A and 20B,port 12B may be used to charge sub-pack 20C and port 12C may be used tocharge sub-pack 20D. In Phase B, port 12A may be used to charge sub-pack20C and port 12C may be used to charge sub-pack 20D. In Phase C, port12A may be used to charge sub-pack 20D. The Phases may be switched toprovide a substantially even charge among the sub-packs 20A through 20D.

FIGS. 9 through 12D provide examples where power may be provided to allfour ports 12A through 12D.

Referring to FIG. 9, the same power, such as a Level 2 power connection,may be provided to each of ports 12A through 12D. In this embodiments,each port 12A through 12D can charge sub-packs 20A through 20D,respectively. In this embodiments, the battery may charge about fourtimes faster than the embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate an example where there are three powersources of one type and one power source of another type connected toports 12A through 12D. In this embodiments, port 12A may receive a Level2 power connection, port 12B may receive a Level 2 power connection,port 12C may receive a Level 2 power connection and port 12D may receivea Level 1 power connection. To provide substantially even charging amongthe sub-packs 20A through 20D, a switching scheme between Phase A andPhase B may be provided. In Phase A, port 12A may be connected tosub-pack 20A, port 12B may be connected to sub-pack 20B, port 12C may beconnected to sub-pack 20C and port 12D may be connected to port 20D. InPhase B, port 12A may be connected to sub-pack 20D to provide a“catch-up” charge thereto. The Phases may be switched to provide asubstantially even charge among the sub-packs 20A through 20D.

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate an example where there are two powersources of one type and two power sources of another type connected toports 12A through 12D. In this embodiments, port 12A may receive a Level2 power connection, port 12B may receive a Level 2 power connection,port 12C may receive a Level 1 power connection and port 12D may receivea Level 1 power connection. To provide substantially even charging amongthe sub-packs 20A through 20D, a switching scheme between Phase A andPhase B may be provided. In Phase A, port 12A may be connected tosub-pack 20A, port 12B may be connected to sub-pack 20B, port 12C may beconnected to sub-pack 20C and port 12D may be connected to port 20D. InPhase B, port 12A may be connected to sub-pack 20C and port 12B may beconnected to sub-pack 20D to provide a “catch-up” charge thereto. ThePhases may be switched to provide a substantially even charge among thesub-packs 20A through 20D.

FIGS. 12A through 12D illustrate an example where there are three powersources of one type and one power source of another type connected toports 12A through 12D. In this embodiments, port 12A may receive a Level2 power connection, port 12B may receive a Level 1 power connection,port 12C may receive a Level 1 power connection and port 12D may receivea Level 1 power connection. To provide substantially even charging amongthe sub-packs 20A through 20D, a switching scheme between Phase A, PhaseB, Phase C and Phase D may be provided. In Phase A, port 12A may beconnected to sub-pack 20A, port 12B may be connected to sub-pack 20B,port 12C may be connected to sub-pack 20C and port 12D may be connectedto port 20D. In Phase B, port 12A may be connected to sub-pack 20B, port12C may be connected to sub-pack 20C and port 12D may be connected tosub-pack 20D. In Phase C, port 12A may be connected to sub-pack 20C andport 12D may be connected to sub-pack 20D. In phase D, port 12A may beconnected to sub-pack 20D. The Phases may be switched to provide asubstantially even charge among the sub-packs 20A through 20D.

The above provide specific examples of switching schemes to provide aneven charge among a plurality of sub-packs for the battery. Otherschemes are contemplated within the scope of the present invention,provided that, at full charge, the state of charge of each of thesub-packs 20A through 20D may be substantially the same. As used above,the state of charge may be determined to be “substantially the same”among the sub-packs when a variation in the voltage between two of thesub-packs may be from zero to about +/−0.5 V DC, typically from zero toabout +/−0.2 V DC.

Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14, a single charging station 52 at asingle charging stall 54 for an electric vehicle 50 can have the abilityto provide more than one charging connector 60 to the vehicle 50. InFIG. 13, there are two charging lines, a first charging line 56 and asecond charging line 58 extending from the charging station 52. Thecharging lines 56, 58 are configured to provide simultaneous poweroutput to two ports of the electric vehicle 50. In FIG. 14, there is asingle charging line 66 extending from the charging station 52, but thissingle charging line 66 include multiple power cables bundled therein,such that, near an end of the single charging line 66, a first chargingline 68 and a second charging line 70 can be present to providesimultaneous power output to two ports of the electric vehicle 50.

In some embodiments, the multiple cables in the single charging line 66can terminate in a single connector, providing individual terminals 142for each of the power cables bundled therein. FIG. 14A shows an exampleof a single connector 140 with multiple power cables bundled together ina single charging line 146 to provide power to the single connector 140.FIG. 14B shows the single connector 140 having multiple charging lines148, 150 terminating thereto. FIG. 14B shows, for illustrative purposes,the individual wires 144, however, such wires 144 would be internal to ahousing of the single connector 140 and would not be visible. While twopower lines are shown connected to the single connector 140, any numberof power cables may terminate at a single connector. The singleconnector may take various configurations. For example, FIGS. 14A and14B illustrate an example of end-to-end NEMA 14-30 connectors in asingle connector. Other connector configurations, either known orunique, may be used in the single connector. Further, depending oncurrent electric codes, the neutral and/or ground lines may be sharedfor each of the bundled power cables.

Each of the lines, whether terminating at a single connector or atseparate connectors, may carry alternating current (AC), direct current(DC) or one line may carry AC while another line carries DC. Typically,the type of current provided can be determined by the type of connectorat the end of the line. Each of the lines may be configured to providean equal rate of charge at each connector or may be configured toprovide different rates of charge at each connector.

In some embodiments, the charging cable(s) may be manual, hand-operatedelectric plugs. In other embodiments, the charging cable(s) may berobotic or mechanically-operated electrical plugs. In the laterembodiment, the robotic or mechanically-operated electrical plugs may becompletely automated, where the system can detect the location of one ormore ports on a device and move the plugs to be connected thereto.

The charging station 52 can include a display 62 that can allow the userto control the charging and/or see the power draw at each of thecharging lines, such as charging lines 56, 58 or charging lines 68, 70.The display 62 can include a selection for a power level at eachcharging line, if available and may show time to full charge, total timecharged, total cost, or the like.

While the Figures show two charging plugs available from a singlecharging station for a single electric vehicle parked in a single stall,there could be more than two charging plugs available at the singlecharging station for a single electric vehicle. This design allows aperson to charge their electric vehicle, having multiple charging ports,with more than one charging line without taking the charging line of anadjacent stall.

Referring to FIG. 15, a pantograph charging system 80 may be used tocharge an electric vehicle 84 via a charging connection 82. While twocharging connections 82 are shown, like the embodiments above, multiplecharging connections 82 may provide power to multiple battery sub-packssimultaneously. In some embodiments, the charging connections 82 may notbe present and the system 80 may operate as a wireless charging station.The pantograph charging system and/or wireless charging system may beused instead of or in addition to the wired charging systems asdescribed above.

Referring to FIG. 16, a home owner or a public charging station may needto draw power from an electrical energy storage system 160 (e.g., TeslaPowerwall battery, Tesla Powerpack battery, or the like) because theelectrical grid may not able to deliver the large amount of power neededto fast charge a device with multiple power cables or to fast chargemultiple EVs at the same time. The storage system 160 would serve toprovide local reserve power, and a buffer for the electrical grid, tomeet the power spike in usage demand when multiple power draws areoccurring concurrently. The electrical energy storage system 160 may berecharged via the electrical grid at an acceptable rate of powerconsumption while the EVs are being charged and/or when no EVs are beingcharged. Therefore, in some embodiments, power can be provided to thebattery of the EV by an electrical energy storage system. In someembodiments, the electrical energy storage system is operable to berecharged via the electrical grid at an acceptable rate of powerconsumption while one or more EVs are being charged or when no EVs arebeing charged. In some embodiments, alternative energy devices, such assolar or wind-powered devices, may be used to charge the energy storagesystem 160.

In some embodiments, the energy storage system 160 may be located on thepremises of the battery charging system (as shown with energy storagesystem 160) or may be located off the premises of the battery chargingsystem (as shown with energy storage system 160A). In some embodiments,the energy storage system 160 may be an electric vehicle, a stationary,non-mobile device, a non-electric vehicle mobile device, or the like.

In some embodiments, the battery charging station may receive power fromthe electrical device connected thereto. In some embodiments, an energystorage system, such as energy storage system 160 described above, mayreceive power from an electrical device connected to one of the multiplelines of the charging station.

All the features disclosed in this specification, including anyaccompanying abstract and drawings, may be replaced by alternativefeatures serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unlessexpressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise,each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series ofequivalent or similar features.

Claim elements and steps herein may have been numbered and/or letteredsolely as an aid in readability and understanding. Any such numberingand lettering in itself is not intended to and should not be taken toindicate the ordering of elements and/or steps in the claims.

Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinaryskill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustratedembodiments have been set forth only for the purposes of examples andthat they should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined bythe following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that theelements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination, itmust be expressly understood that the invention includes othercombinations of fewer, more or different ones of the disclosed elements.

The words used in this specification to describe the invention and itsvarious embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of theircommonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in thisspecification the generic structure, material or acts of which theyrepresent a single species.

The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are,therefore, defined in this specification to not only include thecombination of elements which are literally set forth. In this sense itis therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or moreelements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below orthat a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in aclaim. Although elements may be described above as acting in certaincombinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expresslyunderstood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can insome cases be excised from the combination and that the claimedcombination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of asubcombination.

Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by aperson with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, areexpressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of theclaims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one withordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of thedefined elements.

The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specificallyillustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, whatcan be obviously substituted and also what incorporates the essentialidea of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A battery charging station for an electricaldevice, comprising: at least one stall for receiving the electricaldevice; and at least two electrical power charge cords or connectors ateach of the at least one stall, wherein the at least two electricalpower charge cords of connectors are operable to be employedsimultaneously to enable a fast charge to the electrical device placedat each of the at least one stall via provided electrical power from thebattery charging station.
 2. The battery charging station of claim 1,wherein the electrical device is an electric vehicle.
 3. The batterycharging station of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two electricalpower charge cords or connectors provides an equal rate of electricalcharge power.
 4. The battery charging station of claim 1, wherein the atleast two electrical power charge cords or connectors provide at leasttwo different rates of electrical charge power.
 5. The battery chargingstation of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two electrical powercharge cords or connectors provides either an alternating current (AC)electrical charge power, a direct current (DC) electrical charge power,or a combination thereof.
 6. The battery charging station of claim 1,wherein the at least two electrical power charge cords are bundledtogether as a single power charge cord having an end connectorcomprising multiple individual electrical connections.
 7. The batterycharging station of claim 1, wherein the at least two electrical powercharge cords are bundled together as a single power charge cord havingmore than one end connector with each connector comprising individualelectrical connections.
 8. The battery charging station of claim 1,wherein the at least two electrical power charge connectors are manual,hand-operated electrical plug devices.
 9. The battery charging stationof claim 1, wherein the at least two electrical power charge connectorsare robotic, mechanized-operated electrical plug devices.
 10. Thebattery charging station of claim 1 where the at least two electricalpower charge connectors are either pantograph charging electricaldevices or wireless charging electrical devices.
 11. The batterycharging station of claim 1 where the at least two electrical powercharge connectors comprise a combination of either manual, hand-operatedelectrical plug devices; robotic, mechanized-operated electrical plugdevices; pantograph charging electrical devices; or wireless chargingelectrical devices.
 12. The battery charging station of claim 1 wherethe provided electrical power is provided at least partially by anelectrical energy storage device, the electrical energy storage devicebeing located on premises of the battery charging station or located offthe premises of the battery charging station.
 13. The battery chargingstation of claim 12, wherein the electrical energy storage device iseither an electric vehicle, a stationary, non-mobile device, or a mobiledevice that is not considered an electric vehicle.
 14. A batterycharging station comprising: at least one stall; and at least twoelectrical power charge cords or connectors operable to be selectivelyemployed simultaneously to (1) provide electrical power to enable a fastcharge to, or (2) receive a charge from, an electrical device placed atthe at least one stall.
 15. The battery charging station of claim 14,wherein the provided electrical power is provided at least partially byan electrical energy storage device.
 16. The battery charging station ofclaim 15, wherein the electrical energy storage device is located eitheron premises of the battery charging station or is located off thepremises of the battery charging station.
 17. The battery chargingstation of claim 15, wherein the electrical energy storage device iseither an electric vehicle, a stationary, non-mobile device, or a mobiledevice that is not considered an electric vehicle.
 18. The batterycharging station of claim 14, wherein each of the at least twoelectrical power charge cords or connectors provides an equal rate ofelectrical charge power or wherein one or more of the at least twoelectrical power charge cords or connectors provide a different rate ofelectrical charge power.
 19. The battery charging station of claim 14,wherein each of the at least two electrical power charge cords orconnectors provides an either an alternating current (AC) electricalcharge power or a direct current (DC) electrical charge power, orwherein both AC and DC electric charge power is separately provided bythe at least two electrical power charge cords or connectors.
 20. Thebattery charging station of claim 14, wherein the at least twoelectrical power charge cords are bundled together as a single powercharge cord having an end connector with multiple individual electricalconnections.
 21. The battery charging station of claim 14, wherein theat least two electrical power charge connectors are either manual,hand-operated electrical plug devices, robotic, mechanized-operatedelectrical plug devices, pantograph charging electrical devices,wireless charging electrical devices, or combinations thereof.